Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/503

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 443 in the year, and the school which he attended was not equipped for doing a high grade of work, but he found in his home the stimulus for learning many useful things and the op- portunity and even necessity for practicing them. To use the carpenter's tools, or those cf the blacksmith, to be able to mend harness or shoes, or to turn his hand to do a number of other things, was supposed to be a part of the boy's education and preparation for life. And it must not be forgotten in estimating character and intellectual development of the man of this period, that such a training as this not only fits the hand and the eye for the performance of their tasks, but also has its effect in developing intellect and the for- mation of character. We have sometimes mis- judged the men of other generations, and of lesser opportunities, because we have consid- ered that the mind may be developed only by contact with books and schools. It is not true, of course, that all manner of labor has a great effect in the development of the mind, but it is true that the practice of the differ- ent trades and professions which we have mentioned, imder the circumstances of pioneer life, does have a very great effect in mental growth and development. Out of the seem- ingly unfavorable conditions, the elementary condition of the schools in Southeast Mis- souri during this period, there came many men who have real breadth of intellect and force of character, and may not be vmwor- thily compared to many who have had much greater advantages and nnieh better oppor- tunities. This life developed men of very great ini- tiative and wonderful power. It was during this period that the west attracted such great numbers of people by the discovery of gold in California. Thousands of Missourians, some of them from the southeast, made their way to the west and took part in all the stirring scenes of that time. These men, ow- ing to their early training and the character which it had developed, made their mark in every part of the new country. The Mis- sourian became a well known character and was regarded as one of the highest types of men in the west. It is a curious and inter- esting exercise to look through the records of western life and to see how many Missourians have filled important places and played great parts in the building up of the west. All along the coast, from Canada to Mexico, are to be found Missourians and their descend- ants. The characters which were developed in them by the pioneer life in the state fitted them excellently for the work of the coimtry. One of the most interesting aceoimts hav- ing to do with this period was written by Judge Robert Goah Watson of New Madrid county. Judge Watson, who came to New IMadrid very early in its history as a trader with the Indians, became one of its most prominent and influential citizens. He ac- cumulated considerable property through his trading enterprises and was a man who al- ways stood up for the best interests of his community. He wrote late in his life an ac- count setting out the experiences which he had in the new section of the country. It is an interesting bit of biography and it casts considerable light on the surroundings and life in New Madrid county. One of the things of which he speaks with special emphasis is the existence in the early days of imdesirable people. Not only were such gangs of robbers as the IMason and ]Iur- rell band, if not tolerated, at least allowed to continue their operations for a good many years, but there were in addition to these open and notorioiis outlaws, a large number